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| Issue: June 2006 |
| The President: Up Close and Personal THE MAN ON THE RUN |
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But certainly there are a thousand more words to describe Mr. Cesar Joson Guarin. He’s no ordinary business man. He’s no bizarre artist. He’s no superficial athlete. Youngest in a family of nine, his parents were successful business people in the garments manufacturing industry. An artist himself who is into fine arts, he took the course majoring in Visual Communication at the University of the Philippines – Diliman. During those days, he was also part of the running team, but not so much of an outstanding one. But who would have thought that he would evolve into an ultra-long marathoner --- the very first Filipino who successfully ran across the Philippines, America and Europe! |
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Mr. Guarin openly shares that he was a frustrated Olympic runner. He had an obsession watching Victor Idava, a Filipino marathoner in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He said to himself that a rigid training for two years would kick-off his preparedness for the much-coveted Olympic gold. As if fate really permitted, he never got the chance to be in the National Try-outs. Yes, he vigorously prepared for it but every time he was almost there, he got an injury. Amidst frustrations, he kept on believing. He pursued his dream. Until that one fateful day he found himself no longer in the slow and long distance work-outs, but in the long distance ones. There it was, a purpose far greater than the Olympic recognition. |
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| Mga Balita June 2006 |
Our story, the BOTAK Story. THE MAN ON THE RUN Exhilarating sports events from home Pacman vs. Chololo A quick peek on international sports events GERMANY: Ready for FIFA LAS VEGAS: hosts NBA See which sports movies are making a blast! GOAL The Manny Pacquiao Biopic Our featured products - guaranteed knock-out grabs! Kabayan, Isport BOTAK is certifiably the No.1 Pinoy Customized Sportswear! (Read Article) |
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| "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle." --- Vince Lombardi ESPN's Coach of the Century in 2000 Professional Football Hall of Fame Awardee since 1971 The man who made the phenomenal winning teams like the New York Giants, Green Bay Parkers and Washington Redskins in the National Football League and Superbowl I and II Championships. He has marked a legacy of making people succeed to their utmost capabilities. Truly, Vince Lombardi is one of the most admired and well-respected coaches football has ever had. |
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| Cesar J. Guarin President Cejogua Sports Corporation |
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These days, I do not have the luxury of time to do some ultra-distance running. The last time was with my advocacy-runner friends at Gomburza, Joy Rojas and Mat Macabe, when we did the Manila-Tagaytay run last April. On the road, I thought about all the fun and adventure I had during my previous runs. Then I also thought about the excitement we are actually having now in the company and the awesome future that was on my mind -- BOTAK Going Global! This has been the company's great enthusiasm these past years since we started BOTAKnet International in 2002. I am elated to finally launch this pilot issue of e-BOTAK Isports Balita. Through our featured stories, we intend to bring certified active BOTAK users and fellow Kababayans closer to home. Taos puso po kaming nagpapasalamat sa inyo, minamahal naming mga Kababayan, for making a guaranteed Pinoy brand the NO. 1 made-to-order sports apparel in the country. And yes, very soon in the international sports community as we rely on Pinoy's penchant for high-quality sportswear and pride to promote Filipino products wherever they are in the far flung corners of the globe. We have worked hard and long enough to create a Filipino brand that can compete with the big names. Now we are ready to roll. BOTAK: from the Philippines, Going Global! We’re Passion. We’re Performance.We’re Pinoy. Wear BOTAK. |
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| On the Road |
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He had a vision: the world at the Filipino’s feet. He ran that vision. Now, he is the President and CEO of CEJOGUA Sports Corporation. |
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The Dream Pursued! The Global Run: Alay sa Pilipino This was the run that made history. News clips from all over the world featured his story. The Global Run: Alay sa Pilipino was launched in 1983 when Guarin undertook the Trans-Pilipinas Run, running from Zamboanga City to Baguio City at a distance of 2,100 kilometers. Then followed the 1985 Trans-USA Run, covering 4,600 kilometers from New York to California. The third phase was the Trans-Europe run that took off in 1992. It covered six European countries spanning 2,800 kilometers in all 36 cities. The run started in Spain (Barcelona), then went on to France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and finally Italy (Rome). As Carlito G. de Jesus puts it in his Personal Assessment on the Portrait of the Filipino as a Runner, “Guarin is an authentic Filipino sports hero. Not well recognized and greatly misunderstood, perhaps, but a hero nevertheless. And if we accept the definition of a genius as a person with infinite capacity for taking pains, then he is also a genius.” Why did he do it? He was asked so many times why he did all the running. Well, his answer is still the same as two decades ago. Two important reasons are evident. First, it’s his one way of deepening his relationship with the Lord. Every time he runs is a form of meditation. According to him, he feels and appreciates the greatness of the Lord more as He provides him with His strength in his every step. His run always meant seeing the wonders of the nature and having a real feel of God’s power in him. The second reason is his love for sports and his country. He wanted to inspire his countrymen through sports. Running is also his identity as an artist. Sports has been his medium of expression. Without a blink, he cheerfully says, “gustong-gusto ko yun! Hinahanap-hanap ko.” For him, running is a continued discovery and revelation of things. Every step leads you to another. One may not really comprehend the depths of his passion in accomplishing all those epic runs, but to put it simply, he has desired to show the whole world that Filipinos CAN do great feats. With the concept of global run itself, he expresses, “Why climb mountains? This is a question which, it turns out, can’t be satisfactorily answered even by mountain climbers. Every one, of course, attempts an answer. But you have to admit that the whole truth is not there. The whole truth can’t be captured in words. It’s like trying to explain colors to someone blind from birth.” |
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An Artist on the Run A born-artist, Guarin has never lost his creative juices in each and every run. As a matter of fact, he painted the landscapes he passed by during his long series of run. Also during the Trans-Europe turn, he had picked-up bottle crowns that he encountered along the way. And what a masterpiece! He ended up with a European collection of stylish bottle crowns, of Italian, Spanish, German, French, Belgian and Swiss origins! The Message Remains To the young sportsmen and enthusiasts, he has a message. His words of encouragement remain. “Keep thinking that we can be a world-class entity. Keep focusing on the possibility that Filipinos can be global leaders in the sports arena. Our progress in sports can be linked to development of our society as well.” As his classic words in the 90’s, “Sports is one way of developing society. It makes it stronger, better. I would compare it with American society, where sport really develops leadership. And that’s why America is a world leader.” The Vision Remains Capable of running, equivalent to 38 marathons per month in all kinds of terrains and through a whole range of weather conditions, Guarin is very much willing to run again. Never tired and backed up by strength and passion, he looks forward to that moment again. This will be in line with the goal of fulfilling his global run. He says; “given the opportunity and resources to do it, I will still run for a cause… for fund-raising.” The Birth of BOTAK Need we say more? At the time of his obsession for the Olympics, was the conceptualization of his mini-thesis in the UP College of Fine Arts. He came up with a hypothetical brand, product line of which was of course, none other than, running itself, BOTAK (TAKBO).
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What was once a
fictitious concept has turned into a reality. Now, with over two decades, Isport
BOTAK lives on, expanding its product line and penetrating the global
market.
Indeed, the inspiration brought about by running has launched a thousand jerseys and hundreds of other sportswear products. Simply the Man on the Run Running his sportswear business, running and pressing on towards the fulfillment of the global run, running for his artistry and creativity and running for the ideals of a better quality of sports in the Philippines, undoubtedly, he remains the man on the run.
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